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I actually started collecting U.S. Bicentennial plates rather unintentionally. I was already collecting
Pennsylvania passenger car plates (my parents' home state), and had just begun to collect U.S. 1977 passenger car plates
(my high school graduation year) and Illinois passenger car plates (my wife's home state). I soon realized that
between these various sub-collections, I would end up having nearly all of the U.S. Bicentennial plates, with the only
real exception being a 1976 Oklahoma Bicentennial, which was easy enough to find.

This display is arranged chronologically based on the date each of the plates were introduced. The approximate
dates that each plate design was in use are indicated. Although some Bicentennial plates were standard issues, and
others were extra-cost optional bases, these were all used for passenger cars.

Pennsylvania – March 1971 to March 1977

Pennsylvania was the first state to introduce a license plate in recognition of the U.S. Bicentennial, and only
one of two states to use colors other than red, white, and blue. This base plate made its debut during a
March 1971 statewide reissue. It was renewed each subsequent March with stickers through 1976, with the
1976 sticker expiring at the end of March 1977.

District of Columbia – March 1974 to September 1986

D.C. Bicentennial plates were introduced in a March 1974 general replacement. These plates were issued
through about February 1978, and were valid with appropriate stickers through September 1986. Regular
people were issued serials beginning at 100*001. Low serial numbers up to 1250 were VIP plates assigned by
the Mayor's office.

Wyoming – January 1975 to March 1978

I just love the slogan on these Wyoming plates – The Spirit of '76 – In the
American West! – although it is small and impossible to read at any distance. This was
Wyoming's first multi-year base plate, issued in 1975, and renewed in 1976 and 1977 with stickers.
Registrations expired in the following March after the year indicated on the plate or sticker. The "2" to
the left of the bucking bronco graphic indicates this plate was issued in Laramie County.

Virginia – July 1975 to present

These optional reflective plates with screened graphics made an attractive alternative to Virginia's plain,
painted standard-issue passenger car plates. Virginia stopped issuing new Bicentennial plates in the
mid-1980s or so, but they have the distinction of being the only Bicentennial plates still in use today.
The few that are still on the road are in pretty sad shape after 25 or more years of use.

Michigan – November 1975 to March 1979

Michigan issued these plates during a general reissue during the winter of 1975-1976, and renewed them with
stickers for 1977 and 1978. Registrations expired in the following March after the year indicated on the
plate or sticker. Michigan U.S. Bicentennial plates are widely regarded as being among the best-looking
license plates of the 1970s.

South Carolina – November 1975 to December 1980

This was South Carolina's first graphic plate, and their first multi-year base plate since World War II.
It was valid through November 1976 without stickers, and was used through 1980 with the appropriate expiraiton
stickers. That red thing in the middle of the plate is supposed to be a palmetto, the state tree.

Illinois – December 1975 to February 1977

In the mid-1970s, Illinois still issued annual plates that expired each December 31, and so this plate was used
just during 1976, give or take. New plates went on sale each December 1, and there was a 45 day grace
period following the stated expiration date. This plate was a significant departure from the ordinary,
all-embossed plates issued before and after.

Maryland – December 1975 to March 1980

Maryland issued plain red-on-white painted plates during a general reissue in March 1975, but then later in the
year offered these graphic, reflective Bicentennial plates at a nominal additional cost. They were
available until late 1976 or early 1977; stickers were used to renew these plates through March 1980. The
small graphic in the upper left corner depicts cannons being fired from Fort McHenry in Baltimore harbor.

Oklahoma – December 1975 to February 1977

Like Illinois, Oklahoma still issued new plates every year in the mid-1970s, and acknowledged the Bicentennial
on their 1976 plates. However, they took a very minimalist approach, resulting in the most plain design of
any of the Bicentennial plates. The serial prefix identified the county of issuance; the PF prefix is one
of several assigned to Payne County. Oklahoma plates expired each December 31, but had a two-month grace
period beyond the expiraiton date.

Georgia – January 1976 to sometime in 1989

The Georgia Bicentennial plate was an extra-cost option to their standard red-on-white plates, but it was not
a popular choice among Georgia motorists. Love it or hate it, but it is without question an eye-catching
design from an era when graphic plates were in their infancy. I haven't been able to get reliable
information regarding precisely when this plate stopped being issued, but by one account it could be used through
1989.

Indiana – January 1976 to June 1977

Back in the day, Indiana also issued new plates annually, but registrations were partially staggered to expire
each January through June. Usually, the expiration year was shown on the plate, but these graphic
Bicentennial plates bore the year of issuance, 1976, and expired in 1977 in the month indicated on the
sticker. This resulted in there being two years of plates dated 1976, and no plate dated 1977. The
number to the left of the little letter identifies the county; "38" is for Jay County.

Missouri – January 1976 to December 1977

Similar to Indiana, Missouri issued new plates annually, and waited until 1976 to issue plates acknowledging
the U.S. Bicentennial. However, since Missouri plates could expire in any month, only people whose plates
expired during the first half of year actually had these spiffy 1977 expiration plates on their cars on July 4,
the date of the actual anniversary. Everyone else still had the completely ordinary yellow-on-blue 1976
expiration plates, and received their Bicentennial plates after the event had passed.

Montana – January 1976 to December 1991

Montana issued this base just as they were converting to staggered registrations, so some of these plates
issued in January 1976 initially expired as soon as June 1976. But they liked this design so much that they
continued to not only renew it, but to also issue it for over 15 years, longer than any other U.S. Bicentennial
plate. The "4" serial prefix identifies this plate as having been issued in Missoula County.

Nebraska – January 1976 to December 1984

When Nebraska created this rather busy design, they forgot to leave a space for the expiration sticker.
They apparently didn't instruct people where to place them, either, because Nebraska motorists applied their
stickers in just about every conceivable location on their plates. The "9" prefix indicates this plate
was issued in Buffalo County.

South Dakota – January 1976 to March 1981

This plate design doesn't actually say "1776" or "Bicentennial", nor does it display a Bicentennial logo or any
Revolutionary War graphics, but I'll give South Dakota the benefit of the doubt, due to these plates actually
being issued in 1976 and the flag-like graphic design at the top. There's a screened "76" in the lower
right corner; in 1977 and subsequent years thorugh 1980, the plates were renewed with year stickers placed in
the same location. The ME serial prefix identifies this plate as being from Minnehaha County.

Alaska – early 1976 to 1982 or 1983

Alaska introduced this distinctive standing bear graphic plate for 1976; it's considered a Bicentennial plate
because of the small "76" Bicentennial logo in the upper right corner. It was then renewed with stickers
into the early 1980s. I haven't been able to get reliable information regarding precisely when this plate
was introduced and replaced.

Alabama – October 1976 to November 1982

Alabama showed up for the Bicentennial party as the other guests were preparing to leave. This plate has
the U.S. Bicentennial logo in the lower right corner, but it wasn't introduced until October 1976, three months
after the actual anniversary date. These plates were valid without stickers until November 1977.
Frequently, but not always, a blue-on-white sticker indicating the motorist's county of residence was placed over
the blue bar along the bottom edge.

Plates that I don't think qualify as U.S. Bicentennial license plates (but you may)

Colorado – 1975-1976 Centennial.
"Centennial" means 100 year anniversary, while "bicentennial" means 200 year anniversary. Colorado became a
state in 1876, and these plates actually celebrated the statehood anniversary. There were two completely
different versions of this plate.

Hawaii – 1976 base. Hawaii introduced a nice red, white, and blue
graphic plate featuring an image of what I presume to be King Kamehameha for 1976, and used it for several
subsequent years. However, it didn't actually acknowledge the U.S. Bicentennial in any way.

New Hampshire – 1976 First for Independence.
A number of states that issued license plates in pairs made special Bicentennial front plates, which motorists
could legaly use to temporarily cover or replace their actual front license plate. These were effectively
state-issued booster plates, that in most cases actually looked like booster plates. New Hampshire offered
such a plate; the red, white, and blue First for Independence plate, which was unique
in that had a large serial number on it. Because of this, it's easily and understandably mistaken for a
license plate, but really it's just a numbered booster plate.

New Mexico – 1976 vanity plates. These distinctive plates had white
characters on a blue and red background. Those are not typical New Mexico plate colors, but by my reasoning
it takes more than patriotic colors to be a Bicentennial plate.
(Babcock photo and plate)

New Mexico – 1976 plates with serial number 000*000. These plates
had a red-and-yellow graphic of a roadrunner inside the center of a zia symbol, with blue embossed serial characters
on a white background. Apparently this design was originally a prototype for a New Mexico U.S. Bicentennial
plate which was never approved. Plates with this design, always with serial number 000*000, were then
mass-produced and sold as front booster plates.
(Babcock photo and plate)

North Carolina – 1975 First in Freedom
base. A vague reference to a patriotic theme on a red-on-white plate during the 1970s does not make a
Bicentennial plate.

South Dakota – 1974 and 1975 plates. Graphic... nice.
Red, white, and blue... patriotic. Mount Rushmore... expected. Bicentennial... nope. I cut
South Dakota some slack for their 1976 plates, but one has to draw the line somewhere.

Tennessee – Plate with the legends
America's First Frontier under the state name at the top,
1776 Volunteer State 1976 along the bottom, and U.S. Bicentennial logo and state flag
stickers in the upper corners. The most distinctive feature may be the serial number, which always included
the number 575,205 with two variable letters. These plates, and others like them in 1975 and 1977, were
"Honorary Governor's Staff" plates distributed by the governor to his political supporters. From what I
have been told, these were not valid license plates.

West Virginia – 1976 base. West Virginia was in the midst of a
general reissue in 1976, replacing embossed blue-on-yellow plates with graphic plates showing a large, yellow
state map with a light blue outline. By order of the governor, the replating was accelerated so that it was
complete in time for July 4, the actual date of the U.S. Bicentennial. But the plates themselves did not
acknowledge the Bicentennial in any way.